Device for pulling blast furnace bosh plates



May 4, 1954 J. B. LEE

DEVICE FOR PULLING BLAST FURNACE BOSH PLATES Filed Feb. 26, 1951Inventor 1 SQ Q Patented May 4, 1954 ENH'ED STATES PATENT OFFICE DEVICEFOR PULLING BLAST FURNACE BOSH PLATES Joshua B. Lee, Cleveland, Ohio,assignor to United States Steel Corporation, a corporation of New JerseyApplication February 26, 1951, Serial No. 212,794

2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to improved devices for pulling blast furnacebosh plates.

As understood in the blast furnace art, a bosh is the part of a furnaceimmediately above the hearth and is one of the hottest parts of afurnace. To protect the refractories of the bosh wall againstoverheating, this wall contains water-cooled plates, which commonly arehollow brass bodies providing a Water circulation path.

During a furnace campaign it is necessary to replace these platesperiodically, since their inner faces burn out or erode away and permitleakage. Since the plates are cemented in the wall, their removal may bequite difficult. It is customary to take furnace off blast while platesare being changed, but even so, the task is very arduous for workmen.The time the furnace is ofi blast, of course, represents productionloss.

An object of the present invention is to provide improved devices whichexpedite and facilitate removal of blast furnace bosh plates.

A further object is to provide improved bosh plate pulling devices whichenable air impact wrenches to be used as a means for furnishing thepulling force.

A further object is to provide improved bosh plate pulling devices whichinclude means adapted to bear against the bosh bands, means adapted toengage a bosh plate, and screwthreaded means which on rotation exerts apulling force on the plate.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, I haveprovided improved details of structure a preferred form of which isshown in the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of part of a blast furnace bosh and of aplate pulling device embodying features of the present invention; and

Figure 2 is a sectional view through the nut which carries the spindleof the device.

Figure 1 shows a part of the bosh wall of a blast furnace. This wallincludes bosh plates it (only one of which is shown) embedded in therefractory, and bosh bands I 2. The plates are equipped with lugs 13adapted to be engaged by a pulling device. Since the furnace can be ofany standard or desired construction, it is not shown nor described ingreater detail.

The plate pulling device of the present invention comprises twospaced-apart parallel plates 54, which have grooves IS on their inneropposed faces. An internally screw-threaded nut i6 is clamped betweensaid plates midway of their length. This nut has parts of two of itsopposed faces cut away to furnish tongue sections Ii which fit Withingrooves l5 (Figure 2). A pair of bolts l8, one of which is situated oneach side of nut l6, assist in holding plates [4 together and confinethe nut against movement lengthwise of the plates.

Nut It carries a screw-threaded spindle Hi. The inner end of thisspindle is rotatably received in a bearing 20 which is fixed in a plate2| adapted to straddle the space between the bosh bands 12. Spacers 22preferably are interposed between plate 2! and bands 12 when the deviceis set up ready for use.

The outer end of spindle l9 has a wrench engaging section 23. Preferablyan air impact wrench 24 is utilized for turning the spindle. Since suchwrenches per se are known and are not part of the present invention, nodetailed description is deemed necessary.

A pair of rods 25 extend between the outer portions of plates I4 onopposite sides of nut I6 and have screw-threaded sections which receivenuts 26. The latter nuts bear against the outer edges of plates l4.Additional bolts 21, one of which is situated on each side of each rod25, assist bolts Is in holding plates ht together and confine rods 25against movement lengthwise of said plates. The inner ends of rods 25carry yokes 2B which are adapted to engage lugs 13 on the bosh plate Hi.

In operation, when it is necessary to replace a bosh plate In, thefurnace first is taken off blast. Next, with the nuts 26 loosened, yokes28 are engaged with lugs l3, spacer blocks 22 are interposed betweenplate 2! and the bosh bands I 2, and nuts 26 are tightened. Wrench 24 isengaged with section 23 of spindle l9 and operated in a direction toexert a pulling force on the bosh plate.

From the foregoing description it is seen that the device of the presentinvention affords an especially simply and yet effective device forpulling bosh plates. The use of an air impact wrench enables the spindleto be turned for pulling the plate with very little exertion by theoperator. Practical experience has demonstrated that a bosh plate can bepulled in as little as five or six minutes by only one man, which is adecided improvement over past practice with which I am familiar.

While I have shown only a preferred embodiment of the present inventionit is apparent modifications may arise. Therefore I do not wish to belimited by the disclosure set forth, but only by the scope of theappended claims.

I claim:

1. A device for pulling blast furnace bosh plates, said devicecomprising a pair of spacedapart plates having lengthwise grooves ontheir opposed faces, a nut having tongue sections fitting within saidgrooves between said spacedapart plates, a screw-threaded spindleengaged with said nut, a wrench engaging section on the outer end ofsaid spindle adapted to be engaged by a wrench for turning the spindle,a plate having a bearing rotatably receiving the inner end of saidspindle, said last named plate being adapted to straddle the spacesbetween a pair of bosh bands, a pair of rods extending between saidspaced-apart plates on opposite sides of said spindle and having nuts ontheir outer portions adapted to bear against the outer edges of saidspaced-apart plates, bolts holding said spacedapart plates together andclamping said nut therebetween and. confining said spindle and said rodsagainst movement endwise of these plates, and means on the inner ends ofsaid rods adapted to attach theses rods to a bosh plate.

2. A device for pulling blast furnace bosh plates, said devicecomprising a pair of spaced apart plates, a nut fitted between saidplates, said plates and nut having a tongue and groove connectiontherebetween, a screw-threaded spindle engaged with said nut, a wrenchengaging section on the outer end of said spindle adapted to be engagedby a wrench for turning the spindle, a plate having a bearing rotatablyreceiving the inner end of said spindle, said last named plate beingadapted to straddle the spaces between a pair of bosh bands, a pair ofrods extending between said spaced-apart plates on opposite sides ofsaid spindle and having nuts on their outer portions adapted to bearagainst the outer edges of said spaced-apart plates, bolts holding saidspaced-apart plates together and clamping said nut therebetween andconfining said spindle and said rods against movement endwise of theseplates, and means on the inner ends of said IOds adapted to attach theserods to a bosh plate.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 864,981 McCarthy Sept. 3, 1907 1,172,761 Berkstresser Feb. 22,1916 1,736,506 Munson et al Nov. 19, 1929 2,461,983 Jarrett Feb. 15,1949 2,465,011 Culliton Mar. 21, 1949

